Posted by Andrea in
Bio Fuels,
Featured Articles on 11 20th, 2008 |
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The EPA’s newest little helper - Termites?!
What would you say if I told you that insects may help us break our dependence on oil products for fuel? Most people would probably laugh and say “Yeah right!” However, in an article soon to be published in Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining, Assistant Professor of entomology at the University of Florida in Gainesville Michael Scharf has many people reconsidering this seemingly preposterous idea.
Scharf and his colleague Aurelien Tartar are studying how the digestive enzymes and bacterial...
Posted by Jen on 10 16th, 2006
In the spirit of the seaso...
Short article about why tree leaves turn colors, particularly the vibrant reds seen in maple trees in autumn. Unlike the yellow and orange colors, which arise from carotenoids and are present year-round, the red pigments result from a build up of anthocyanins produced in response to stress. Guess students aren’t the only ones stressed out in the...
Posted by Jen on 10 15th, 2006
Highlighted Stories for th...
In the spirit of the Halloween season, there is (somewhat sensationalized, but fun) news of a mouse eaten by a pitcher plant (Nepenthes truncata) in France. Also, pumpkin and palm seed oil are being used in Africa as a cheaper, alternative biofuel to power communication networks.
Eating walnuts may prevent artery damage, perhaps by reducing the temporary...
Posted by Jen on 10 10th, 2006
Highlighted stories for th...
Space lettuce - Horticulturist Dr. Fred Davies at Texas A&M, in collaboration with NASA’s “Salad Bowl” program, discusses his progress in creating sustainable food options for astronauts and future space colonists. More information here, including the Dr. Davies’ webpage.
Insects prefer (bilateral) flowers - A study recently...
Posted by Jen on 10 1st, 2006
Highlighted stories for th...
Can weeds “sniff” out their prey? Recent study from Penn State published in Science suggests that the parasitic strangleweed can detect chemicals produced by its preferred host, the tomato plant. The strangleweed may use these airborne chemicals as a targeting cue to grow towards the host plant.
“Flock of Dodos” takes a hard...